Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Benidorm and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Benidorm: $1,689 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. The total is higher in Nosara despite lower rent and utilities.

82

Cost of Living Index in Benidorm
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Benidorm Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Benidorm

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,689

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Benidorm and in Nosara

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Benidorm and in Nosara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,689 per month in Benidorm vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Benidorm $1,689
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,487 per month in Benidorm vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Benidorm $2,487
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $3,284 per month in Benidorm vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Benidorm $3,284
Nosara $3,818

Benidorm is about 8% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Benidorm and Nosara sit above the global median – Benidorm by 25%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.29 €15.38

$12.35 ₡5,539

40.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.8 €46.96

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-13.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 €11.08

$7.52 ₡3,373

65.69%

Cappuccino

$2.38 €2.12

$4.41 ₡1,978

-46.03%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 €2.08

$1.74 ₡780

34.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.31 ₡587

-10.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.38 €3.00

$3.28 ₡1,471

3.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 €3.25

$4.47 ₡2,004

-18.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 €1.01

$1.56 ₡701

-26.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.34 €1.19

$3.02 ₡1,355

-55.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.41 €1.25

$2.51 ₡1,125

-43.82%

Eggs

$3.38 €3.00

$3.57 ₡1,603

-5.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.95 €9.74

$7.43 ₡3,333

47.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.78 €6.92

$10.52 ₡4,717

-26.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.79 €14.05

$13.97 ₡6,265

13.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$2.35 ₡1,052

-11.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.61 ₡720

15.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$4.80 ₡2,152

-60.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.64 €2.35

$1.61 ₡724

63.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$3.80 ₡1,703

-54.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.75 €1.56

$3.69 ₡1,657

-52.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 €0.99

$1.13 ₡507

-1.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.40 €0.36

$2.66 ₡1,191

-84.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.07 €5.40

$5.18 ₡2,321

17.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €4.99

$19.88 ₡8,916

-71.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 €0.80

$2.90 ₡1,300

-68.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.79

$3.63 ₡1,626

-75.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.40 €3.92

$2.14 ₡958

105.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.57 ₡703

-13.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.59 €20.98

$8.52 ₡3,823

176.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 €1.54

$1.52 ₡682

14.47%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$35.5K €31.6K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

64.29%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$28.6K €25.4K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-17.24%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$158 €140

$96.3 ₡43.2K

63.95%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$16.12 €14.34

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-55.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.34 €19.88

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-58.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$10.84 €9.64

$7.89 ₡3,539

37.39%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$579 €515

$494 ₡221.6K

17.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,540 €8,486

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-19.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.7

$53.9 ₡24.2K

68.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.19 €37.53

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-23.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.9 €86.2

$77.9 ₡34.9K

24.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 €104

$79.6 ₡35.7K

46.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 €900

$788 ₡353.4K

28.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$821 €730

$794 ₡356.2K

3.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,743 €1,550

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-55.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,323 €1,177

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-6.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,089 €4,527

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-26.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,476 €2,202

$1,224 ₡549.0K

102.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,763 €1,568

$864 ₡387.3K

104.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

8.62

-61.72%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Benidorm: October 13, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Benidorm

$821 48.6%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 3.2% $27

Eating Out

Benidorm

$242 14.4%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 12.6% $31

Groceries & Markets

Benidorm

$241 14.3%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 46.3% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Benidorm

$196 11.6%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 5.4% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Benidorm

$156 9.2%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 23% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Benidorm

$22 * 1.3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 303% $66

Getting Around

Benidorm

$11 * 0.7%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 678% $76

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,012 in Benidorm versus $788 in Nosara. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 104% higher in Benidorm, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $53.0 in Benidorm versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $241 vs $352 – making Benidorm the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Benidorm

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

06:06 6:06 AM

22:06 10:06 PM

8 h behind Benidorm

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

72,342

4,912

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Benidorm Nosara 8,930 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Benidorm
Nosara

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Benidorm vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 9%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,534 per month in Benidorm and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Benidorm, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,689 in Benidorm and $1,839 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 9%.

Kindergarten costs $579 per month in Benidorm and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Benidorm, where all-in costs run around $1,689, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Benidorm it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Benidorm – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Benidorm. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Nosara makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.